Since she joined radio station KUNC in Greeley more than four years ago, Grace Hood’s reports on fracking, agriculture, the 2012 wildfires and online education have been standouts. Some of the content, like her story on hay thefts along the Front Range, which was picked up nationally, is a departure from the East Coast-centric National Public Radio staples. The judges in the 2012 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize called her three-part series “Investigating Colorado’s Online K-12 Schools” an example of “exemplary enterprise reporting that was particularly notable for a small community station.” She’s developed a working relationship with NPR editors that allows her to pitch stories to the network, with the blessings of KUNC.

The best part of her job is the range of stories, she says, from soft features to breaking news to investigative reporting and big issues like water and agriculture. “I love being out where no one is.”

NPR’s stated desire to focus less “inside the Beltway” works in her favor.

The edit process with NPR is “extremely rigorous, like defending a dissertation,” she says. “Pacing, scenes, ambient sound, the factual information, there are a lot of different components.”

KUNC news director Brian Larson, who did the editing on Hood’s pieces, credits her “hard work, sweat and persistence. You have to work to get noticed.”

Hood, 34, thought she’d be playing in an orchestra by now. She spent a year at Michigan’s famed Interlochen Arts Academy high school studying classical clarinet.

“I wanted to find out where my talent level was. It wasn’t quite at the level I’d hoped, and besides I wanted to pursue academics more.” She went to Bryn Mawr and majored in history.

She grew up listening to Iowa Public Radio in Davenport, then to WHYY in Philadelphia during college. A stint as managing editor of the alternative Boulder Weekly, freelance work and a radio gig covering the Democratic National Convention in Denver in 2008 followed.

It’s rare that a nonprofit radio station the size of KUNC (91.5 FM) wins multiple national journalism awards, lands stories on the national NPR feed, and sees a local reporter jump to the network’s national desk.

The northern Colorado station was once known mainly for its eclectic music, but its news offerings are increasingly a draw. General manager Neil Best said the outlet reaches 120,000 statewide listeners weekly, many in metro Denver. Online and mobile use tripled during the wildfires.

Outside of work, Hood is a triathlete (she’s done a half dozen, swimming, cycling and running), a hiker and skier.

BELLVUE BEAN

During the wildfires, Hood camped out at the Bellvue Bean, a cozy coffee shop northwest of Fort Collins on Rist Canyon Road. Local officials held press conferences in the field next to the Bean. Hood used the shop’s free Wi-Fi to edit and file her stories.

The store is owned and operated by Darren and Azarie Wurtzburg, who support the local arts community by presenting small concerts by Colorado musicians, selling their CDs and displaying local artwork on the walls.

“The Bean is a conscious cafe that promotes sustainable practices and supports local food producers,” its website promises. Hood favors the gluten-free baked goods, mostly because her boyfriend of seven years is gluten-intolerant. (She describes him as “the opposite of a triathlete.”)

Question: Public radio is regularly short-staffed, underfunded but overachieving. What are the benefits and challenges of working within that system?

Answer: I like the model of public radio. We are beholden to our listeners (not to any corporation). It’s a very smart audience. Public radio is growing. The challenge is how to appeal to the next generation. There’s a growing number of younger hosts — David Greene, Rachel Martin, Audie Cornish, all in their 30s. You also hear different types of voices on NPR, which I really like.

Q: What is Neil Best’s role in KUNC’s success?

A: Neil’s huge. He gives you the space and time to work on a feature or investigation. His understanding of public radio is phenomenal. KUNC has expanded into Denver thanks to his technical foresight (buying relay transmitters, for example).

A: I had a large group of family and friends with me in Boston when I accepted the Daniel Schorr Prize in October. I used some of the money to pay for gala tickets and hotel rooms. I saved the remainder. I was raised in a public-radio family, so my family was extremely excited to meet some of the NPR personalities: Robert Siegel, Nina Totenberg, Scott Simon, the Car Talk guys. It was beyond cool.

Q: Would you advise young people interested in media to go to journalism school?

A: It wasn’t necessary for me. The writing and critical thinking are things you can master in college or graduate school without getting a journalism degree. The interview skills and my “public radio voice” are things I picked up along the way, thanks to great mentors like my news director Brian Larson and co-workers.

Q: How do you feel about being an on-air host?

A: I’m hosting, 2-7 p.m., as a fill-in. It requires a different skill set. I like the field more.

Q: What’s the future for “terrestrial radio” in the face of so much Internet/satellite competition?

A: It is interesting how things are changing in public radio. We need an online presence and so, what does that look like? Are you trying to re-create a radio experience? Is it completely different with multimedia slideshows? We really ramped up our online presence as part of an NPR pilot project. During the fires, people were streaming, we really realized the importance of online filing. Maybe five years ago it was all about the audio. Now sometimes you’re filing your Web story first, then you’re filing audio for a newscast.